June 18, 1961: Don Leppert debuts with home run, pickoff in Pirates’ win over Cardinals

Defending their first World Series championship in 35 years, the Pittsburgh Pirates were in fourth place in the National League in June 1961 when general manager Joe L. Brown restructured their bench with a flurry of transactions. The moves included calling up 29-year-old catcher Don Leppert, whose .386 batting average was leading the Triple-A International League. In his major-league debut, the opener of a June 18 doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals at Forbes Field, Leppert homered off left-hander Curt Simmons in his first plate appearance. He also picked a baserunner off first base, and Pittsburgh beat St. Louis, 5-3.

Leppert grew up in Indianapolis and served in the Air Force during the Korean War.1 He debuted in professional baseball in 1955 at age 23, after getting scouted while playing on military teams.2 Originally with the Milwaukee Braves organization, Leppert spent 1959 at Triple A with the American Association’s unaffiliated Dallas Rangers and 1960 with the AA’s Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers, a Kansas City Athletics farm club. A brawny 6-foot-2, he hit double-digit homers in five of his first six minor-league seasons.3

Leppert joined Pittsburgh’s organization in December 1960, when the Triple-A Columbus Jets acquired him in a minor-league trade.4 Two months earlier, the Pirates had won the World Series for the first time since 1925, beating the New York Yankees on Bill Mazeroski’s historic game-winning home run in Game Seven.

Pittsburgh’s 28-man Opening Day roster in 1961 returned all three catchers who had started games in ’60: Smoky Burgess, Hal Smith, and Bob Oldis.5 Leppert went to spring training with the Pirates but began the season in Columbus.6

The Pirates were a game out of first place on May 24 before 11 losses in 16 games sank them to fourth, five games behind the front-running San Francisco Giants.7 “Anyone who didn’t know about 1960 would not recognize the team that played here again tonight, wearing Pirates across their shirts, as the world champions!” declared the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette after a particularly painful-to-watch defeat.8

The club struggled conspicuously in pinch-hitting and backup catching. Through June 15, Pirate pinch-hitters had only 7 hits in 45 at-bats, a .156 average.9 Smith, a lifetime .279 hitter with a key home run in Game Seven of the World Series, was batting just .202. Oldis, regarded as an outstanding defender, had appeared in only four games.10

Meanwhile in Columbus, Leppert drove in six runs on Opening Day and was batting over .400 into June as the Jets’ primary receiver.11 His timing was right for Brown’s June 15 makeover of the Pirates’ bench. Three reserves departed Pittsburgh’s roster; three new men replaced them.

Oldis went to Columbus in the reshuffle, and Leppert’s contract was purchased.12 “The Pirates were looking for a righthanded power man on the bench and apparently Leppert is the answer,” the Pittsburgh Press observed.13

“Leppert’s promotion was probably brought about by the failure of Hal Smith to hit,” the Indiana (Pennsylvania) Gazette speculated.14

Leppert was on the sidelines for his first two games with Pittsburgh. Burgess caught both, one won by the Cardinals and the other by the Pirates.15 Manager Danny Murtaugh used only two pinch-hitters, and both were left-handed.16

Murtaugh’s lineup for the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader did include Leppert, catching and batting seventh.17 His batterymate was veteran right-hander Bob Friend. Thirteen years earlier, Leppert and Friend – who was a native of West Lafayette, Indiana, about 65 miles from Indianapolis – had played against each other in high-school football, with Friend’s West Lafayette Red Devils beating Leppert’s Washington Continentals.18

Friend faced a Cardinals lineup with several recent arrivals of its own. Center fielder Carl Warwick and second baseman Bob Lillis were St. Louis’s return in the May 30 trade that sent shortstop Daryl Spencer to the Los Angeles Dodgers.19 Nineteen-year-old catcher Tim McCarver had been promoted from Triple A on June 10.20 Shortstop Julio Gotay, age 22, was newly recalled because of second baseman Julián Javier’s leg injury; regular shortstop Lillis moved over to second.21

The bottom of the first set the tone for a sloppy game. Cardinals third baseman Ken Boyer, although headed for his fourth consecutive Gold Glove Award, mishandled reigning NL MVP Dick Groat’s one-out grounder for an error. Groat attempted to steal second, but McCarver threw him out.

Roberto Clemente doubled and Dick Stuart singled, netting the Pirates a run. Stuart, however, was trapped between first and second and tagged for the third out.

Friend, who was in his 11th season with the Pirates, had lost seven of his last nine decisions, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette described his performance in the first four innings as “wobbly.”22 Bill White was stranded at second after a two-out double in the first. Leading off the second inning, however, 40-year-old Stan Musial drove his 436th career homer into the upper deck in right to tie the game, 1-1.23

Leppert made his first trip to a big-league batter’s box with one out in Pittsburgh’s half of the second. “Don’t swing at anything bad,” Murtaugh advised.24

Five pitches passed without a swing, and the count was full.25 Simmons, a 14-year veteran in his second season with the Cardinals, threw a curveball, and Leppert drove it into Forbes Field’s left-field light tower.26 He was the 32nd player in National or American League history to homer in his first major-league at-bat.27 The Pirates were back ahead, 2-1.

By their request, Cardinals pitchers were taking additional batting practice in 1961,28 and Simmons entered the game hitting .360. He led off the third with a double to left, and Gotay drove him in with another double. One out later, White had the inning’s third three-base hit; Gotay came home standing up, just ahead of Leppert’s tag.29 It was a 3-2 St. Louis lead.

Shortly after his legs put the Cardinals ahead, Gotay’s arm allowed the Pirates to tie the game. Bill Virdon reached on an infield single with one out in the bottom of the third. Groat grounded to short; Gotay tried for a force but threw wildly to second. Virdon took third on the play and scored on Clemente’s groundout.

McCarver led off the Cardinals fourth with a single. With Lillis batting, Leppert threw a pickoff to first, and Stuart tagged out McCarver. Two-out singles by Simmons and Gotay turned out harmless.

Pittsburgh capitalized on another Gotay error to take the lead in the fifth. Friend was safe when Gotay bobbled his one-out grounder. He took third on Virdon’s single to right, and Groat’s sacrifice fly brought him home.

Overcoming his early-inning struggles, Friend induced Musial to hit into a double play to end the fifth, then set the Cardinals down in order in the sixth and seventh. White’s leadoff fly to center in the eighth continued the string of outs, but Boyer walked and went to third on Musial’s single. Curt Flood ran for Musial.

Murtaugh brought in fireman Roy Face to pitch to Warwick. The first pitch was a grounder to Groat at short.30 Mazeroski – who took part in 144 double plays in 1961, more than any other second baseman in NL history to that point31 – made the pivot and threw to Stuart for the Pirates’ third double play of the game.

“Why didn’t Hemus call on Carl Sawatski, a more experienced batter who swings lefthanded, to hit for Warwick, a righthanded batter?” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wondered.32

Simmons was still on the mound in the bottom of the eighth, and Groat and Clemente started the inning with singles. Cardinals manager Solly Hemus called on righty Al Cicotte.

Stuart struck out, and Don Hoak hit a grounder to first. White threw to Gotay to start a double play, but the throw back to Cicotte covering first went off the pitcher’s glove. Groat scored for a 5-3 Pirates lead, and Gotay was charged with his third error.33

“I should have been given the error because the ball hit the web of my glove,” Cicotte said afterward.34

Leppert followed by hitting into a force to end his day at 1-for-4. Face closed out the win by setting down the Cardinals in order in the ninth.35

The day turned out to be a stalemate for the Pirates. They lost the second game of the doubleheader, with Burgess catching.36 Pittsburgh finished sixth in the NL with a 75-79 record, five games behind the fifth-place Cardinals.37

Leppert remained on the major-league roster for the rest of the season, hitting .267 with three homers in 22 games. He played four seasons with the Pirates and Washington Senators from 1961 through 1964.

He later had an 18-year run as a coach for three big-league teams, including tours under his debut-game manager (Murtaugh), a debut-game teammate (Virdon), and a debut-game opponent (Lillis).38 When the Pirates won their next World Series, in 1971, a decade after his debut as a big-league player, Don Leppert was their first-base coach.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org for pertinent information, including the box score and play-by-play. He also reviewed game coverage in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Press, St. Louis Globe-Democrat, and St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspapers.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT196106181.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1961/B06181PIT1961.htm

Photo credit: Don Leppert, Trading Card Database.

Notes

1 Paul Horning, “’Expansion’ Is Key Word in Don Leppert’s Career,” Columbus Dispatch, May 30, 1961: 5B.

2 Horning, “’Expansion’ Is Key Word in Don Leppert’s Career.”

3 Bill Van Fleet, “Rangers May Play Role of Spoilers,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 9, 1960: 3, 13.

4 The trade sent Tom Burgess, Chick King, and Ken Toothman to Dallas for Leppert. Jack Hernon, “Roamin’ Around,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 14, 1961: 24.

5 “Pirate Roster for 1961,” Pittsburgh Press, April 16, 1961: 8, 2.

6 Earl Flora, “Jet Pitcher Haake Gets Long Chore,” Columbus Dispatch, April 1, 1961: 10.

7 Lester J. Biederman, “Pirates Get Logan, Moryn and Leppert for Better Bench: Cimoli, Oldis Take Departure Hard After Whirl With Championship Team,” Pittsburgh Press, June 16, 1961: 31.

8 Jack Hernon, “Stumbling Pirates Bow to Cards, 7-5: Law Clobbered, Musial Paces 17-Hit Barrage,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 28: 1961: 3,1.

9 Lester J. Biederman, “Pirates Get Logan, Moryn and Leppert for Better Bench: Cimoli, Oldis Take Departure Hard After Whirl With Championship Team.”

10 Biederman, “Pirates Get Logan, Moryn and Leppert for Better Bench.”

11 Earl Flora, “Jets Blast Off with Power Win,” Columbus Dispatch, April 20, 1961: 19A; Eddie Fisher, “Shepard Tabs Francis as League’s Best Righty,” Columbus Dispatch, June 2, 1961: 25B; Eddie Fisher, “Jets Well off, Avers Cooper,” Columbus Dispatch, June 18, 1961: 37B.

12 “Pirates Land Logan, Moryn in Shuffle: Cimoli Traded, Waivers Asked on Gene Baker,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 16, 1961: 18. The Pirates also traded outfielder Gino Cimoli to the Braves for shortstop Johnny Logan, purchased outfielder Walt Moryn from the Cardinals, and released infielder Gene Baker.

13 Biederman, “Pirates Get Logan, Moryn and Leppert for Better Bench.”

14 Steve Butchock, “Trades Won’t Help Pirates,” Indiana (Pennsylvania) Gazette, June 17, 1961: 8.

15 Jack Hernon, “Cards ‘Come On’ Late to Beat Bucs, 5-2: Pirates Now Only 2 Games from 5th,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 17, 1961: 9; Lester J. Biederman, “Pirates Breeze Past Cards, 9-3: Stuart Blasts 3-Run Homer; Shantz Wins,” Pittsburgh Press, June 18, 1961: 6,1.

16 Rocky Nelson and newly acquired Walt Moryn were hitless in pinch-hit appearances against Bob Gibson in the series opener, on June 16.

17 At age 29 years, 242 days, he was the fourth oldest rookie to debut in the major leagues in 1961. The only older rookies that season were pitcher Chi-Chi Olivo of the Braves (35 years, 79 days), briefly Leppert’s minor-league teammate in 1958 and 1959; catcher Mike Roarke of the Detroit Tigers (30 years, 162 days), whose time in the Braves organization had overlapped Leppert’s; and outfielder Bobby Prescott of the Kansas City Athletics (30 years, 82 days).

18 “Scarlets Take to Air to Down Washington, 14-6,” Lafayette (Indiana) Journal and Courier, September 18, 1948: 7.

19 Neal Russo, “Spencer Is Traded for Two Prospects,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 31, 1961: 4C.

20 McCarver, who had appeared in 18 late-season games for the Cardinals in 1959 and 1960, was called up because regular catcher Hal Smith was sidelined with what was later diagnosed as a heart ailment. “McCarver to Replace Ailing Smith,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 11, 1961: 1E.

21 Neal Russo, “Pirates to Honor Musial on His 20th Anniversary,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 18, 1961: 3E.

22 Jack Hernon, “Pirates Paste Cards, 5-3, Then Bow, 7-3: Leppert and Moryn Homer; Hoak Hurt,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 19, 1961: 20.

23 Neal Russo, “Extra Batting Drills for Hurlers Pay Off as Cardinals Break Even: Jackson’s Hit Helps in 4-Run Inning After Pirates Beat Simmons,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 19, 1961: 4C. Musial, a native of Donora, Pennsylvania, 20 miles from Pittsburgh, hit his first big-league home run at Forbes Field, against the Pirates’ Rip Sewell in September 1941.

24 United Press International, “Leppert Took Danny’s Advice,” Altoona (Pennsylvania) Mirror, June 19, 1961: 17.

25 United Press International, “Bucs to Look at Potential Mound Toiler,” Simpson’s Leader Times (Kittanning, Pennsylvania), June 19, 1961: 13.

26 United Press International, “Bucs to Look at Potential Mound Toiler”; Lester J. Biederman, “Hoak Injury Adds to Pirate Woes: Top Hitter Hurts Eye as Card Split Keeps Bucs on Treadmill,” Pittsburgh Press, June 19, 1961: 23.

27 Bill White, playing first base for the Cardinals in this game, had homered in his first major-league at-bat as a member of the San Francisco Giants in 1956. Ed Eagle, “Players with Home Run in First At-Bat,” MLB.com, September 1, 2023, https://www.mlb.com/news/home-run-in-first-at-bat-c265623820.

28 Russo, “Extra Batting Drills for Hurlers Pay Off As Cardinals Break Even.”.

29 Associated Press Wirephoto, “A Flying Red Bird,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, June 19, 1961: 1C.

30 Jack Herman, “Birds Bounce Back to Knock Off Pirates: Post 7-to-3 Triumph After Kicking Away Weird Opener, 5-3,” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, June 19, 1961, 1C.

31 At the time, Detroit Tigers second baseman Jerry Priddy had the record for double plays in a season with 150 in 1950. Mazeroski broke Priddy’s record in 1966, when he was involved in 161 double plays.

32 Russo, “Extra Batting Drills for Hurlers Pay Off as Cardinals Break Even.”

33 Gotay appeared in 10 games for St. Louis before being returned to the minor leagues on June 29. He was charged with 10 errors and batted .244. St. Louis traded him to Pittsburgh in November 1962, as part of the deal that sent Dick Groat to the Cardinals.

34 Russo, “Extra Batting Drills for Hurlers Pay Off as Cardinals Break Even.”

35 Saves were not recognized as an official statistic until 1969, but Face is retroactively credited with his seventh save of the season in this game. He tied San Francisco’s Stu Miller for the NL lead in 1961 with 17 saves.

36 The Cardinals defeated the Pirates, 7-3, in the second game. A three-run homer by Walt Moryn, whom the Pirates had purchased from St. Louis on June 15, provided all of Pittsburgh’s runs.

37 The Cardinals fired Hemus on July 6 and replaced him with Johnny Keane, their third-base coach. St. Louis, which was 33-41 under Hemus, went 47-33 with Keane as manager. The Cardinals won the World Series championship under Keane in 1964.

38 Leppert served as a Pirates coach from 1968 through 1976, when Pittsburgh’s managers included Murtaugh (1970-1971, 1973-1976) and Virdon (1972-1973). He was a coach with the Houston Astros from 1980 through 1985, when Houston’s managers included Virdon (1980-1982) and Lillis (1982-1985).